The city of Houston has issued subpoenas telling pastors in the area to turn over all sermons pertaining to homosexuality, gender identity, or to Annise Parker, the city’s openly gay mayor. If pastors do not comply with the request, they could be held in contempt of court. This is a direct assault on First Amendment rights and religious liberty. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is representing five pastors in the Houston area, and has filed a motion to stop the subpoenas. ADF attorney Erik Stanley stated about the subpoenas, “City council members are supposed to be public servants, not ‘Big Brother’ overlords who will tolerate no dissent or challenge. This is designed to intimidate pastors.”
FFC Executive Director Tim Head stated about the issue, “Mayor Annise Parker’s subpoena of pastors to turn over transcripts of sermons to the government or potentially be put in jail is outraging, dumbfounding, and heartbreaking, all at once. It literally is impossible to fathom how any elected official in the United States could feel justified in requiring faith leaders to send their sermons to their government to go on file. My hope, to be honest, is that pastors in Houston and beyond see this for what it is and continue to speak the truth in love.”
Contact Houston Mayor Annise Parker and demand that she stop bullying pastors and infringing on their religious liberties!
Mayor Annise D. Parker
City of Houston
P.O. Box 1562 Houston, TX 77251
Phone (713) 837-0311
Email: mayor@houstontx.gov
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